Home loans
PMAY-U 2.0 interest subsidy: who qualifies, what the ₹1.8 lakh is really worth, and how to claim it
The guideline's actual caps on income, loan, house value and carpet area; why ₹1.8 lakh is worth about ₹1.4–1.5 lakh today; what five yearly instalments do to your EMI; and the steps your lender must follow to claim it.
How banks work out your home-loan eligibility, and why two lenders quote different amounts
Your sanction is the lower of two limits: what your income can carry after existing EMIs, which is lender policy, and RBI's loan-to-value cap on the property. A worked example with two lenders shows how FOIR, tenure and rate move the number by lakhs, and what to compare once offers arrive.
Co-owner, co-borrower, co-applicant: who can claim home-loan tax deductions under the Income-tax Act, 2025
Banks say co-applicant, the sale deed says co-owner, the loan agreement says borrower. How sections 20, 22, 24 and 123 of the new Act decide who gets the interest and principal deductions, and what a couple on an ₹80 lakh loan can claim under the old and new regimes.
Home-loan balance transfer after the repo hike: the break-even sum and the fees people miss
With repo at 5.50%, the spread your lender charges over the benchmark decides what you pay. This explainer shows how to work out the break-even month of a balance transfer, which fees to count (including state stamp duty), and what RBI rules say about foreclosure charges and the Key Facts Statement.
Repo-linked, MCLR or fixed: how each home loan reacts to a rate hike, with a ₹50 lakh example
Why the October 2026 repo hike reaches three borrowers with the same ₹50 lakh loan at different times and in different amounts, how to find out which benchmark your loan uses, and what to ask before switching.
20:80 and subvention schemes: who pays the home loan when the builder stops paying
In a subvention deal the loan is in your name, even though the builder promised to pay the interest. Here is what the RBI's 2013 rule and the Supreme Court's 2025 order say, what RERA offers, and how much a ₹80 lakh upfront loan costs you each month once the builder's payments stop.
Prepay the home loan or keep the cash in a deposit after the October 2026 hike: the arithmetic
After the RBI's 7 October hike to a 5.50% repo rate, here is how to compare a part-prepayment with a fixed deposit: your post-tax loan rate versus the post-tax return, when the ₹2 lakh interest deduction matters and when it does not, the rule on prepayment charges, and a worked ₹5 lakh example.
Pre-EMI or full EMI on an under-construction flat: what 'pay later' costs on an ₹80 lakh loan
Interest-only payments during construction keep early outgo low but clear no principal. We work out an ₹80 lakh loan three ways, show what each costs in total interest and years, how delay and the ₹2 lakh tax cap change the picture, and what to ask your bank.